Time for the Absolute Write Blog Chain. This month's theme includes a wonderful variety. Instead of sticking to one topic, each poster decides the topic for the following poster. The prompt chosen for me is: Blind Date With A Ventriloquist. Such a fun topic!
You know the drill. The links/topics for my fellow AWers are listed at the end. Check them out for some fun reading. They'll entertain you, I promise!
Camryn pushed the bangs from her eyes as she walked out to the car waiting for her. Nerves tingling and heart racing, she opened the door to get in. The man behind the wheel smiled setting her at ease. As soon as she was fastened in, he took off. She smoothed her skirt.
"It was so great of you to agree to this," the man driving said.
Oh shoot! In her nervousness, Camryn had forgotten his name. What was it? She tapped her finger on her leg. Marcus! That was it. "I could say the same for you."
Camryn had been on several blind dates over the past two months, but this one sounded much more promising. She didn't know Marcus well, but her brother insisted she'd enjoy his...what had he said? Quirks. That's right. Marcus had quirks. Camryn pressed her palms together to hide their shaking. If quirky was the best she could find, she was doomed already.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Tell her guys."
Camryn looked at Marcus, confused. Who was he talking to? Hearing a voice but not seeing Marcus's mouth move, she turned her head. "What!" Two pairs of eyes stared back at her. She hadn't agreed to children. Wait. They weren't moving. Weren't even breathing. Air rattled in her chest.
"Meet Maxine and Buddy. Friends of mine."
Camryn shook her head, certain she was seeing things. Then she realized they were puppets. She suppressed a laugh. "Are you a ventriloquist?" she asked.
His fingers tapped against the steering wheel. "I don't really like that term. These two are my oldest friends. They go everywhere with me. You won't mind helping one of them into the restaurant, will you?"
He had to be kidding. "You're taking them inside with us?"
"We can't talk to them if they have to stay in the car."
Quirky? This was eery. "They're not real."
He jerked the car to the shoulder of the road. The car skid to a halt.
"She doesn't like us."
"Who is this chick?"
Marcus faced her. "You'll have to get out now."
"Excuse me?" Camryn stared at him, then at the stuffed passengers in the back.
"They don't take kindly to prejudiced people. Buddy carries a knife."
"And I'm always packing!"
Unsure whether she should laugh or be scared, she opened the door and then got out. Marcus drove off, the tires kicking rocks at her shins.
Some date. Camryn slid out of her heels, thankful for her skirt. She could hitch a ride home.
Prompt for the next participant: EVIL CUPID
UPDATE: For another take on this prompt, take a look at nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com. You won't be disappointed. So funny!
orion_mk3 Yuppies Who Hate the Family Business
ConnieBDowell Unexpected Library Encounter
bmadsen Cupcake Disaster
MsLaylaCakes Unfortunate Sports
HistorySleuth Less Than Fortunate Foods
writingismypassion Blind Date With A Ventriloquist (you are here)
katci13 Evil Cupid
KitCat Hunting With Hounds
Angyl78 A Ghost's Bad Day
randi.lee The Wrong Bar
Lady Cat Visitors
pyrosama What the Leprechaun Said
Ralph Pines Under the Bed
more to come...
Wow! Talk about a date gone bad. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteHA! Good job! How could that not be funny... and creepy at the same time.
ReplyDeleteNightmare meet the puppeteer. Is there a word for fear of puppets and creepy dudes?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there is! lol
DeleteWell, that date sooo didn't go well. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteWow, very nice! When I read the title, I sort of panicked because for some reason when I think of ventriloquist, I think of the actual wooden dummies. That would have been spooky scary, a ventriloquist dummy! Still, Marcus was a creep! lol
ReplyDeleteWooden dummies are creepy. *shudders*
DeleteNothing worse than a guy who take his ventriloquist dummies a little too seriously. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think Camryn got off lucky - that was one creepy blind date!
"It was so great of to agree to this" I think there might be a missing "you" there, just like in Objectivist philosophy :D
ReplyDeleteFun little drabble, this! It's too bad Camryn suffers from pupaphobia, as I'd have loved to see the sparks fly in the restaurant...especially if she was controlling one of the puppets! I may just have to write that one up myself...
Okay, I followed through on my threat to write up my own version where they make it to dinner :)
DeleteCheck it out: http://nonexistentbooks.com/2013/02/18/from-gastromancers-gambit-by-marlena-anora-karlssen/
Great! Looking forward to reading.
DeleteFixed the missing word issue too. Thanks for pointing it out.
DeleteCharity--what an engaging read! This was great. What an excellent take on the prompt!
ReplyDeleteThanks, randi! It was fun to write.
DeleteDating a ventriloquist would really freak me out. I liked the mix ofhumor/horror with your prompt.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, our church's summer camp was done by a female ventriloquist. Every year, the girl dummy would fall in a love with one of the camp counselors. One year... That was me.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't creepy though, it was part of the act, and I loved it.
:)
Nice piece. It would be creepy if you weren't ready for it lol.
Cute story. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete